Are You Ready for College? Take this Quiz and Find Out By Adrienne Grayson, Marvin Maldonado and Julie Mendez Decisions, decisions, decisions! And no, we re not talking about whom you ll be taking to prom or what you ll wear. We re talking COLLEGE! After all, that s where you will be spending the next four-to-five years of your life. It s a decision that shouldn t be taken lightly. Are you ready for it? Take this short quiz to find out. You might surprise yourself. 1. When you think about going to college, you: A. Dismiss the idea because once MTV discovers you, you will become the next reality star. B. Intend to take a year off to work and then go to college. C. Understand it will give you bigger and better opportunities in life. 2. You will choose a college based on: A. Its distance from home. B. What colleges your closest friends pick. C. Which one offers the best academic program suited to your career interests. 3. When you think of living on a college campus you: A. Have already picked out your dorm-room furniture. B. Are a little nervous about sharing a room with a stranger, but still excited. C. Text your mom asking her if she ll still do your laundry every week. 4. You ve heard college is a lot of work, so you: A. Decide to keep up strong study habits this year to prepare yourself. B. Plan to stay away from the hard courses during your first semester of college. C. Plan on cramming during all-night, caffeine-loaded study sessions. 5. When should you start applying for financial aid? A. You ve already started applying for scholarships. B. You started a college savings account years ago.
C. Right after you are accepted to the college you want. 6. Since you might not receive your first choice of classes in your first semester at college, you plan to: A. Sit outside the professor s office until he/she enrolls you in the class you want. B. Pick classes randomly. C. Meet with a college counselor and select alternative classes. 7. To stay organized you: A. Have developed extraordinary mental note-taking skills and don t forget anything most of the time. B. Write out your weekly and monthly schedules (including school, work and club events) on your calendar. C. Keep your notes and assignments in a color-coded system. 8. You usually study: A. One or two hours each day. B. When you absolutely have to. C. When are you not studying? 9. The night before a huge exam, your friends invite you to a party. You: A. Decide you have been working so hard, you deserve a reward and go to the party. B. Resist all peer pressure and decline because you have to study. C. Haven t really studied, but don t want to miss out so you go to the party. 10. You plan on filling out college applications: A. During the Thanksgiving break, because you ll have more time then. B. They are already completed and ready for Nov. 1 submission. C. You ve already started your online applications and have begun inputting basic information.
To get your college readiness score add up the points below that correspond with your answers: 1. A. 1 6. A. 3 2. A. 3 7. A. 1 3. A. 3 8. A. 2 4. A. 2 9. A. 3 5. A. 2 10. A. 1
Results: If you scored 10-16 Easy Does It, or Does It? You ve definitely thought about college. What high school senior hasn t? However, it s not high on your priority list, and you haven t considered all of the factors that make a college student successful. You prefer to take it easy and not worry about it. You may be thinking that if you go to college, fine; but if you don t, it s no big deal. However, college is about more than just sitting in class. Most of the class work is actually done on your own and may include lots of reading, with few assignments to turn in. But it s not just all work and no fun; there will be plenty of social activities that you ll want to attend. College only comes around once, so you ll definitely want to make the most of it. Consider talking to a current college student and your high school counselor to implement strategies that will help you prepare for college while in high school. If you scored 17-23 Go With The Flow Most high school seniors actually fall into this category. You ve decided that college is definitely something you want to do. Plus, during your high school career, you ve developed several skills that will help you in college. However, you still have questions about everything you should be doing to prepare yourself. That s natural. Don t stress out, but don t get lazy either. You re moving in the right direction, you just have to keep it up. As long as you keep your end of the bargain, all the college pieces will fall into place. Be sure to attend all of your school s college presentations and financial aid nights. Talk to your counselors and college outreach representatives. They re here to help you. If you scored 24-30 2 Fast, 2 Curious You re in super-charged college preparation mode. You were born for this, so watch out college, here you come! WAIT...Rrrrrr! Pump those breaks a bit slow down and pace yourself. Admittedly, you might know a lot about the college preparation process, however, there is always more to learn. Be sure to keep an open mind when you talk to college reps and other adults. They ve already been there, done that, so their advice could be helpful.
Also, remember to take time out to smell the roses. Enjoy yourself and don t worry. Just as you can only do college once, you only get one high school senior year don t miss out on it by stressing too much about the future. Moral of the Quiz: No matter what category you fall into, remember that you re not alone in this process. Use this exercise to gauge your college readiness, and don t beat yourself up over the results. They are meant to help guide you through the journey, and to bring you some laughs along the way. What you ve done up to now and what you can still do, will all pay off in a year or so, when you set foot on your new college home. Good luck!